Metamorphosis
by The Earth's Unwavering Flame
Summary: Sort of a songfic-y story: each chapter has a different song as its background. 'Kay, so a girl turns up on the Titans's doorstep one day, and they take her in without blinking an eye. Is she what she appears? Rated T for violence mostly.
1. Lost In The Rain

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Metamorphosis

Hi again! I'm finding that the more I write, the more I find other things to write about. This story dogged me for about a month, and it isn't as challenging to write as Path to Hell. So I figured, okay okay, I'll write it. Is anyone free for a beta reader?

I'm needing a name for this girl...she's still kind of a mystery, even to me. Every chapter's going to have a different song theme, and the chapters will be named the songs (the whole songs are not always posted.)

**Disclaimer: I own Teen Titans! Just kidding. I want to.**

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Chapter One: Lost In the Rain

_You have lost me to the rain_

_Weave through the drops_

_That fall from the distraught sky_

_Oh, lost in the rain_

My face was lit up by flickering flame, my flesh a burning orange. I was straddling Thunder, watching the demolish of the mill, the farmer, their hopeless dreams.

Murder.

I felt nothing.

It was the natural thing to do. A scream of pain is music to my ears. Hey, destruction and devastation is my middle name. (Or is it _are_ my middle names?) What do you expect? It's not as if I'm one of the "good guys".

_Your pain is my bliss,_

_Your tears are my laughter_

_I'm_

_Lost in the rain_

_Oh_

_Lost in the rain_

I kicked Thunder in the sides. He snorted, tossing his unruly black mane, and galloped away across the fields. Another excellent plan carried out, another few hearts broken.

Ten days later, I took the bridle, the saddle and the bit off Thunder outside of an abandoned farm. He stared at me, uncertainly, and I gave him a swift kick.

"Go, you stupid horse!"

Thunder gave a wild whinny and whirled around, hastily running from me. I was in an awfully bad mood. This random act of kindness, as small as letting a horse free, sure worked up a storm in my stomach.

For a few days, I walked. Didn't stop to eat or sleep. Just kept going, to the next town: Louis Crossing. After scaring the wits out of a waitress at a bar, I slid into the booth and sipped at the rum I'd ordered from her.

"Riding west?" she asked me. She was scared, sure, but still sickeningly polite.

"You got a problem with that?" I growled, banging the empty bottle back onto the counter. The waitress jumped and hurried back into the kitchen, probably to rat on my atrocious manners and me. I could live with that. Heck, I could live with rats living in my underwear. I'm pretty flexible, unlike most "villains".

_Instant shower, silent wind_

_I hold this dear in dreary days_

_Little by little soaked to skin_

_When I'm away, _

_I'm never_

_One of a million drops_

I noticed a magazine splayed on a nearby table, with a gigantic "T" on the front cover that caught my eye. It turned out not to be a T, but a giant building surrounded by water. The title screamed, "**TEEN TITANS SAVE THE DAY AGAIN: pg. 16**".

"Huh. Teen titans, eh?" I muttered, flipping through the book.

I scanned page 16:

**When there's trouble you know who to call…TEEN TITANS**

My lip curled. Talk about a corny motto. These people were already sounding like total airheads.

**Featured Articles**

**-Teen Titans return from successfully jailing Plasmus!**

**-Inside the Titans Tower**

**-Interview with Beastboy**

**-The Fans Rave**

**-Bios**

**-Slade: the Mystery Man**

"Slade!" I clapped my hand over my mouth and whipped around, eyes wide. They were up against _Slade?_ Either the Teen Titans were a bunch of total idiots, or Slade just wasn't as private as he used to be. Memories flashed through my brain like a whirlwind, stirring old fears and mementos: The real me, the me before.

"_Useless…"_

"_Apprentice"_

_"Yes, Master"_

"_Now come…we have much work to do…"_

"Slade," I hissed before I could stop myself. "You'll be sorry if we meet. You'll pay for what you've done to me." Then I clamped my mouth shut. I folded up the magazine and stuffed it into my back pocket, angry that I had expressed my emotions again. Slade wasn't my biggest problem right now.

It was time to pay the Teen Titans a visit. And it was NOT going to be one of those little tea parties you get in Barbie movies.

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Jump City was a busy place.

Downtown, there were rivers of people and vehicles, all jumbled together in a mess. Horns blared, people shouted, and old ladies rammed my back with their shopping bags. Men and women streamed out of buildings, dragging children and briefcases. Mothers chatted with old school friends, while fathers pushed strollers and carried babies on their backs. Lights flashed, and everyone was shoving through people and garbage.

Maybe I was a little out of place among all of the Jump citizens. My dark, glossy hair reached down to my hips like a shining waterfall, and my face was a lot paler than anyone else's. My eyes were abnormal, too…deep shades of blue that masked evil red. I was pretty tall and thin, compared to everyone else.

_Staring through the window,_

_Wishing for a fire_

_Staying for a moment_

_To take my breath away-ay-ay…_

_I'm lost…_

_In this cold_

_In the rain…_

A few obnoxious girls were nattering away, when they caught sight of me and just stared. One redhead whispered to the others: "Look at that creep."

I shot them one of my infamous sinister glares, which shut the redhead up.

Hmm. Her friend had glossy brown curls and a slightly pouted mouth, which would cause the least amount of suspicion. I took in every contour of her body, every curve, every line, every vein. It took me a minute to realize that she was swinging her purse at me.

"Weirdo!" She yelled at me.

Mortals are hilarious.

I walked quickly into a deserted alleyway.

_Ooooh…_

And then I began to change. My hair curled and lightened to brown, my skin developing a peachier glow, and my eyes flared so that they were the same brown as my new hair. I squeezed my eyes shut in intense concentration, my forehead beading with sweat. The thinness of my body was replaced with a slightly plumper, more curvaceous one. I looked exactly like the girl I had seen with the redhead.

Then I stopped and gasped. I was out of practice in morphing. It was one of the first things I had learned, before I had escaped Slade's grasps.

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A few more blocks and the crowds thinned. By the time I reached the harbour, there was not a soul around. I breathed in the fresh, salty tang of the ocean, and set my eyes on the island floating in the middle of the frothy spray.

Titans tower.

"That was WAY easier than I expected," I muttered.

I walked towards it, floating when I came to deeper water. Not one inch of me was damp. Except maybe my feet…the spray was soaking through my boots ALREADY. How could the Titans stand all this water? All this filth? I held up my head, walked up to the door, and rapped, trying to appear braver than I felt.

From inside the Tower, I heard shouts of "I'll get it!" "No you won't!" "Quiet!" "Make me!" "Who is it?" "What was that?" "I'm busy!" "You go!" "I'll go!" "You're staying right here, idiot!" "Stop the arguing, please!" "I'll go!" "I will answer the door!" "Shut up!" "You think you can actually answer a door?" "Who says I can't?" "Somebody just PLEASE answer the door!" "You do it!" "No, I will!" "Stop!" "No!" "Yeah!"

There was a zap of green light, and the voices faltered.

"_I will_ do the answering of the door!"

I sighed. Idiots.

_Yeah…_

_Lost_

_Lost_

_In the rain_

A curious red-haired girl with glassy green eyes opened the door, and my heart gave the slightest thump of jealousy. She was a goddess. Literally. Flaming hair waved softly around a happy, innocent tan face while her eyes glowed. A purple tube top, a miniskirt and matching purple go-go boots hugged her tall, thin frame. I wondered how she could possibly bring down someone like Slade.

"Hello," she said to me. She smiled happily, as if she and I had known each other our whole lives. "Would you like our assistance?"

I'd foresightedly morphed my clothes into a hobo's before I'd come here, so now I looked extremely ratty. "Can I have a drink, please? I haven't had one in days." I coughed, pitifully. My face was stained with seawater, which could easily be mistaken as tears. "Please…" I crumpled to the floor, using my magic to help me look unconscious. I was almost in a dead faint anyways; I'd used so much energy already.

The girl's face flashed from cheerfulness to deep concern in an instant. She grabbed my arm and pulled me into the main room of the Tower. "Oh! Friends, we must help her! She is ill!" The girl gulped, looking close to tears. How touching.

A boy with dark hair flashed next to her, immediately hooking his arm under mine. "Titans!" he yelled. "The infirmary!"

There was no need. A paler girl, with a midnight blue cloak and purple hair, created a dark platform of energy under me, while another (all-green!) person tried to soothe me. An African American dude covered in metal raced in front of us as the Titans hauled me along.

Being so tired from all my magic---and lack of sleep---I slipped into blackness.

My plan was working perfectly.

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It was fast-paced, but I'm writing this at 2:oo in the morning, so I apologize. The girl, if you haven't gathered yet, is evil. Yup. Snores...

*Jerks awake* Huh? What? Who?

yaWN well love ya all, thank you SOOOOO much for reviewing and fave-ing my other stories!!!!!! i really appreciate it!!!!!!!

Kori signing off


	2. Just Open Your Eyes

**Metamorphosis**

Hiya people! Here's another chapter of Metamorphosis for y'all. The song is "Life is Beautiful" by Sixx:AM

**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. But I own Mystery.**

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**Chapter Two: Just Open Your Eyes**

_You can't quit until you try_

_You can't live until you die_

_You can't learn to tell the truth_

_Until you learn to lie_

When I woke up, my head was spinning and every part of my body ached. I groaned. What an aftermath. I felt like I was waking up from a hangover.

I opened my eyes and groggily looked around at a room. A white room. An extremely, blindingly, sickly white room. And I was lying on a cot. Crunchy. Crunchy hospital sheets in the Titans' infirmary.

_You can't breathe until you choke_

_You gotta laugh when you're the joke_

_There's nothing like a funeral to make you feel alive_

I pushed back the covers and slid my legs off the side of the mattress. Catching a glance of myself in the mirror opposite me, I grimaced. Maybe the Teen Titans had rolled me over with a steam truck.

"Dajkacera," I cursed, pulling at a tangle. What had I been thinking when I had knocked on the door? What had happened to my sanity?

A large, metal hand suddenly pulled the white curtain surrounding my bed back. I spun around, snarling instinctively at the intruder. The African American person, who now appeared to be half-machine, started with a shout. "Y-you're awake!"

_Like ** I am. _I bit back the sharp retort. "Yeah. And you are?"

"Cyborg." He held out his hand, shock gone. "The name's Cyborg. You feeling all right now?" I hated that sincere smile, and the warmth in his one good eye. I hated the goody-goodness of that extended hand. But I took it. My own, pale hand was lost in the giant metal one.

"I'm all right. Is there any water around here?" My mouth felt dry and parched, and it tasted awful. I just hoped no one had been watching me while I was out.

Cyborg led me out of the infirmary and down the quiet hallways of the tower, chattering all the way, "And this is the Titan's mainframe communicator…"

_Just open your eyes_

In the living room/kitchen (which was a pretty ghastly mess, what with the tofu and meat battleground on the counter.) the rest of the Titans were gathered. The red-haired girl with the white-less green eyes sprang up the minute she saw me. "You are okay!" she shrieked, launching her tall form at me. Never before had my ribs been cracked with adoration. It wasn't a great experience.

"Can you put me down, please?" I asked. Or tried to ask. It probably sounded more like, "Glorg glagh poof mfdowg gag gah…"

She squealed and released me, her eyes shining. "You can speak the Tamaranian language as well, yes?"

_Just open your eyes_

"I don't think it was Tamaranian, Starfire," sighed the dark girl. "I think it was the sound of a poor innocent bystander being strangled by an overly-hyper super-powerful gorilla."

I couldn't help smirking. Her sarcasm was surprisingly similar to mine.

Starfire didn't look that bothered. "Robin! Beastboy! Our friend has awakened!"

The guy with the mask on leaped over the counter to get to me. "Glad you're feeling okay," he told me---warmly, but unsmiling. His brow furrowed. "How long have you been dehydrated like that? If you needed help, you should have popped by earlier than yesterday. The Titans're always happy to help."

"Thanks," I replied, "Can I please just get a glass of water?"

Starfire got it, chittering happily, while the green guy---Beastboy---introduced himself. "But you can call me Muscleboy, if you want," he teased, his eyebrows bouncing up and down.

I smiled coolly. "Thanks, but no thanks. You've got your whole life ahead of you, dude."

The other girl floated over to me. "Raven." Her eyes were very darkly purple, and they were like mirrors; they reflected, while Starfire's drowned. She looked at me with those reflective, amethyst eyes. I thought I saw a strain of confusion flicker in her pupil, but that couldn't be possible. I had created a magical shield around me so that no one could feel out my true identity. Maybe she detected my magic?

"So what's your name?" Robin asked me, turning away from washing a dish. The other four Titans looked at me curiously.

"Mystery. My name's Mystery."

"Just Mystery?" Beastboy's expression was unreadable.

"Just Mystery."

_And see that life is beautiful_

Starfire clasped her hands together, her gorgeous eyes laughing. "What a beautiful name! Oh, friends; she may stay with us, yes?"

"Of course she can. Raven---," Robin trailed off when he saw Raven glaring at him.

"My room may be the emptiest," she droned, "But it's not the most welcoming."

"You may share a room with me!" Starfire cried. "We shall do the 'hanging out' in the night, friend Mystery!"

Cyborg gave me my glass of water. Finally. "We have a guestroom in the back, if you want it," he told me as I drank. "It used to belong to Terra, but…"

The Titans grew silent. I kept drinking, though, since I had absolutely no idea who Terra was. Beastboy gave a sniffle.

"I'll show you to the room, Mystery." Raven cut through the silence bravely. She still looked nonchalant, but there was something ethereal about her that made me nervous. If someone were to blow my cover, it would be her.

"Do not worry, friend Raven. I will escort Mystery while you read your book." Darn Starfire and her way of sensing emotions. I followed her through the hallways, leaving Robin, Beastboy, Cyborg and Raven behind. They seemed to be arguing.

Star noticed me craning my neck around to peer at them. "Do not be alarmed by the arguing, Mystery." She sighed a sigh that was either long-suffering or sad. Then she giggled. "I have actually become used to it!"

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It had been five days since I had arrived at Titans Tower, and I had begun to settle into their everyday lives. It was my favourite trick: win their trust, and then betray it.

The first day, everyone had been polite and cordial to me; but as I became more and more involved in their lives, they had begun to treat me as a part of their "family". Beastboy traded jokes with me, Cyborg got me to help with his T-car, Robin invited me to train with him, and Starfire begged me to have a sleepover with her until I finally agreed. Raven loaned me a book; once I began talking about it, she started loaning me books everyday, always eager to know how I liked each one. She was the hardest to get along with, and I was still worried that she might find out who I was, but I fared pretty well. And I let absolutely no one know I had powers.

Or I tried to.

The fifth day started out normal. Raven gave me a book about dragons and wizards, Starfire made one of her "glorious Tamaranian breakfast items", Robin turned on the Titans' stereo, and Beastboy and Cyborg argued over another video game. I had been practising my shape shifting in my bedroom, locked away from the others from five a.m. to seven a.m., as I had been doing for the last few days: reciting spells, fuelling my inner magic, and trying to refresh myself. I was doing well---I no longer tired and I could change into any human I saw. I was Cyborg, then Beastboy, then Starfire, then Robin, and then Raven. And while I was shape shifting, I suddenly heard a knock on my door. I gasped and morphed back into myself---or the girl that I had been for the last week.

I glanced at the clock. 6:27 a.m. None of the Titans were up this early.

The door slid open, and Robin saluted me. "Care to train with us?"

"But---but---," I spluttered, "It's 6:30!"

Robin gave a rare smile. "The Titans train early on Fridays. Are you coming?"

"Just a minute…" I grabbed a pair of jeans to exchange for the pyjama bottoms Starfire had given me. I was a little embarrassed that Robin had seen the stupid duck-covered things, and I made little motions at him. He was still standing in the doorway, not understanding what I meant. I coughed, irritably. There was a long moment of silence.

Then he caught on. "Oh---uh---! Sorry," he muttered, hastily scrambling out of my room.

I sighed and pulled on the jeans, then followed him.

I had no idea how much trouble I was going to get into.

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_Will you swear on your life?_

_That no one will cry at my funeral?_

_I know some things that you don't_

_I've done things you won't_

_There's nothing like a trail of blood_

_To find your way back home_

In the training room, Cyborg was lifting weights, grunting and sweating with the effort. Starfire shot glowing green starbolts at a pre-programmed target robot with cries of, "Hah! Hah! Hah!" while Beastboy charged Raven as a green rhino. The empath created a shield of dark energy to block him, but the force of his blow still shattered the black wall to shards. I hesitated in the doorway.

Robin stopped on his way to the punching bags. "What's wrong?" he asked me.

I shuffled my feet. "Well…you all have powers…"

"I don't," Robin reminded me. "It's _okay_."

"You'll probably still do better than Beastboy," Raven muttered, humorously.

"Oh yeah?" Beastboy contradicted.

Cyborg cut his weight training for a minute. "You can punch those bags with Robin just for fun, if you want."

"You don't understand," I replied desperately. Usually, I hardly hesitated to show people my metamorphic powers, but the Titans seemed different. They took me in without blinking. No one had ever treated me like them. I was sure I would see their ugly sides soon (aka when they kick me out of their home or yell and hit me.) But right now, I didn't want to hurt them. I didn't want their innocence shattered; I corrected myself. "I---I have to train alone…"

Starfire faltered, and Raven and Beastboy stopped arguing to stare at me. It was the first day, all over again.

"You have powers?" Robin asked quietly. Anger flared a little in me. Why couldn't he just leave me alone? He was always one to pry, Raven had told me before. How true.

"Maybe," I muttered, turning away. His hand grabbed my arm and spun me around.

"I asked; do you have powers?"

"Leave me alone!" I snarled, jerking away. His eyes flickered with defiance, matching my own eyes. I knew what he was offering: either train with my current, useless body, or show them what I could do.

Starfire came and put a slender, orange hand on my shoulder. I just glowered at Robin.

_I was waiting for my hearse_

_What came next was so much worse_

_It took a funeral to make me feel alive_

"I shape shift," I murmured.

"You what?" Cyborg coaxed.

I bared my teeth. "I shape shift!"

Beastboy scampered up to me and morphed into a cat. "Meow?" he asked excitedly.

"No," I whispered, barely audible. "I morph into people. And…" Here I stopped.

Raven floated down to the ground. "And you can take on their skills and abilities, too."

The Titans were silent as this sunk in.

"So…you can shoot the starbolts as well, Mystery?" Starfire gasped.

I shrugged. "Sure."

The Titans watched, incredulous, as my body stretched and elongated, and my hair developed a red tinge and smoothed into satiny waves. A green tint started at the centre of my pupil, and slowly it leaked into the rest of my eyes. In a minute, I looked exactly like Starfire.

I felt her strength, her innocence, the sweet, pure goodness in her, and the tingling warmth of power in the centre of her chest. I had learned long ago to resist the feeling of the person I'd morphed into, to fight their knowledge and to keep one part of me separate from them. It was the only way to not totally sink into that person, to become the person. At the moment, I focused on my sarcasm. It seemed the best opposite to Starfire's happy, bouncy soul.

The real Starfire sucked in her breath, her green eyes wide, and I sighed.

"Surprised?" I asked my twin. The Titans just gaped as I shot a starbolt at the wall, creating a crater the size of a bathtub. Maybe I had better practice on controlling her powers. They were shockingly deadly.

When I had changed back to my old self, I saw the Titans exchanging glances---of awe, wonder, shock, and possibly jealousy.

_Just open your eyes_

_Just open your eyes_

_And see that life is beautiful…_

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Well, that's it for today, folks. Read and review, please. Remember, nix on flaming!

Hope you enjoyed!

Kori signing off


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